Overview
- Enfield Council says it served a Section 146 notice and has filed forfeiture proceedings at Edmonton County Court seeking to remove Mitchells & Butlers from the Whitewebbs House site.
- A trial is expected later this year or in early 2027, with the council alleging serious breaches of the lease and stating the company failed to engage or make reparations.
- The authority is demanding a public apology and financial compensation, calling the partial felling a reckless act that damaged a key piece of local natural heritage.
- Mitchells & Butlers says contractors acted on arboricultural advice and that it acted in good faith, but the company has declined further comment due to ongoing legal action.
- The Whitewebbs oak, estimated at 450–500 years old and listed on ancient tree inventories, is described by experts as ecologically significant and comparable to or more valuable than the Sycamore Gap tree.